Prayer Ministry
– Mae Burks (Board Liaison) Eric Donaldson (Director)
This team is responsible
for setting the intention of prayer as our foundation; creating a
Prayer Partner program at USLC; heading up special programs/events
focused on prayer; scheduling the Sunday morning Prayer Service; and
serving as a source of prayer help and information for our
congregation.
Prayer Ministry
Team — Mae Burk; Eric Donaldson
We
hold to
the truth that you are God's special child and that we are one in
Spirit. It is our honor and privilege to remain steadfast in prayer
which affirms your highest and best. If you would like to share your
prayer request with us, please know that as your Prayer Partners here
at Unity Spiritual Life Center, we hold in confidence this sacred
trust. God bless you.
Jesus
said, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I
in the midst of them.”
Everyone
is
welcome to join our 9:00 a.m. prayer and meditation service every
Sunday morning for prayer, meditation, quiet reflection, and loving
support. Come and be lifted up through our guided meditation and prayer
time, as we lift those who have requested our prayers. All prayer
requests are forwarded to Silent Unity to be held in prayer for 30
days. Additionally, you may call toll-free
1-800-NOW-PRAY
(1-800-669-7729), the Unity
24-hour Prayer Line at Silent Unity. For
more than 100 years, Silent Unity has been serving people of all faiths
from all parts of the world through prayer. What began as a small group
of praying friends has grown into a worldwide prayer ministry with
devoted staff prayerfully responding to thousands of requests that pour
in each day by telephone, letter, e-mail, or through the Internet
ministry. Please
know that there is a loving soul on the other end of the phone line
just waiting for the privilege to pray with you. Silent Unity will then
continue to hold you in prayer for the next 30 days.
Our Affirmative Prayer Process
One
of the
unique features of Unity is our belief in Affirmative Prayer. Jesus,
our great teacher and example, guided us in the use of affirmative
prayer when he said, "So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mk. 11:24).
While situations may not always work out the way we would like, we can
know with assurance that God's will is actively at work in our lives.
Thoughts from Eric Prayer and Forgiveness
On the blog sponsored by the USLC site, Dr. Bil has an article entitled Why Aren’t My Prayers Answered?
The point of this article is that prayers cannot be answered if we live
in a state of non-forgiveness. This is stated in the bible: "But
if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins.(Matt.6:15, NIV), and Dr. Bil gives an excellent answer as to why
forgiveness is necessary:
"From
a metaphysical perspective, forgiveness is a necessary condition for
answered prayer. Metaphysically, forgiveness means giving up the false
for the true. It means living from our Christ Consciousness instead of
our coma consciousness."
Further, in
the Gospel of Luke it states: "Do not judge, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you
will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37, NIV). When I read "Forgive and you
will be forgiven", this didn’t seem to be the whole truth to me
for it implies a ‘this for that’ mentality--reward and
punishment. It implies "If I am good, God will reward me", which
is really just more embedded theology. So, I took some advice
from Unity author, H. Emilie Cady, and I took this verse to
meditation. After spending some time in the silence along with
Dr. Bil’s definition that forgiveness is really just turning in
the false for the true, I received a more clear definition of this
law. It is not that I will not be forgiven if I do not forgive
another, but really that I cannot be. For as long as I hold to
the false and do not forgive I am stuck in error thinking. I am
pretending that the pain someone caused me is more important than their
divinity.
Forgiveness is a higher state, and to reach it means that I must let go
of the false state of separation and fully internalize the truth that no one can take anything from me for freely I am given to and freely I give.
To reach a state where you can forgive means that you have become
unencumbered by the errors that have defined you, and therefore
forgiveness is simply a state of higher of consciousness.
So why is this necessary for prayers to be answered? It is not
necessary for prayers to be answered, but really so that prayers can be
heard! In Shakespeare's Hamlet there is a scene where the king
kneels and prays not so much for forgiveness for his "rank" offence in
killing his brother, but rather that he will get away with it.
When he finishes praying, he rises and utters: "My words fly up,
my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven
go." How often do we go to prayer with our thoughts, emotions,
and words all going in different directions? If we do not know
the truth, then how can we ask rightly? Forgiveness is necessary
for prayer to be heard, because it allows us to remove our focus from
the false so that we can align our thoughts, words, and deeds in the
truth. And when we are fully aligned in truth, we have a clear
channel to the Almighty source.
